NOVEL NEXT Chapter 14: Chapter 14
'…Fuck me. I have been playing smart this whole time, and this is how I might die?' Ashburn thought in shock.
He didn't expect a former good guy like Charles to have been mind-controlling everyone. In fact, he didn't even know that the Scarlet Witch had been under Charles's mind control.
Quickly, he pulled up his stats and dumped every free point he had, desperate for any edge he could get.
[STATUS SCREEN]
Name: Ashburn Blackheart
Race: Human
Age: 10 days and 3 hours old
Level: 60
Title(s): [Undead Slayer], [Impossible Killer]
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[STATS]
HP: 800,000/800,000
MP: 362,000/362,000
HP Regen: 13,000 per minute
MP Regen: 46,000 per minute
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[ATTRIBUTES]
Power: 28,000
Speed: 27,200
Durability: 26,000
Intelligence: 22,000
Charm: 24,000
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[CLASS & SKILLS]
Job Class: Shadow Monarch
Skills: [Stealth], [Flash Step], [Shadow Inventory], [Bloodlust], [Critical Attack], [Dagger Throw], [6th Sense], [Will to Recover], [Mana Manipulation], [Ruler's Authority]. [Unwilling], [Umbrakinesis],
Job-Specific Skills: [Shadow Extraction], [Shadow Preservation (v2)], [Shadow Exchange], [Monarch's Domain]
All of the zombies burst forward, all aiming to devour Ashburn. He didn't even have time to react. Pain exploded through his body as a figure blurred past him, and the next thing he knew, his arm was gone—ripped clean off.
"Ahhh!" Ashburn screamed, stumbling back in shock. Blood poured from the jagged wound, his mind struggling to catch up with what had just happened.
Standing there, holding his severed arm, was Quicksilver. But this wasn't the weak, street-level speedster from the MCU. No, this Quicksilver moved at speeds faster than light itself.
It had happened in an instant. Quicksilver had appeared before Ashburn, hand reaching for his arm. But when he realized Ashburn's body was too durable for a clean tear, he adapted. Vibrating his hand at high speed, he destabilized the molecular structure holding Ashburn's arm together.
Then, rip. The arm came off like paper.
Ashburn didn't dare waste a second. He instantly activated [Ruler's Authority], seizing Quicksilver's legs and yanking the zombie speedster upside down.
A dagger formed in Ashburn's remaining hand, and without hesitation, he stabbed toward Quicksilver's head.
But even while hanging upside down, Quicksilver's body blurred with movement. His head, arms, and legs twisted at such high speed that Ashburn couldn't land a single clean hit.
To make things worse, Quicksilver's entire body was vibrating, shaking violently enough to disrupt Ashburn's hold. [Ruler's Authority] strained under the pressure, as the grip weakened.
Ashburn didn't wait. He couldn't afford to. From the corner of his eye, he saw another hero-zombie, rushing toward him.
Activating [Stealth], Ashburn vanished from sight and let go of Quicksilver. The speedster fell, momentarily confused as his surroundings shifted. His body stopped vibrating, as he tried to figure out why Ashburn had released him.
That was the mistake that cost him his life.
SHING!
Quicksilver's head flew off his shoulders, spinning through the air. Before it could hit the ground, Ashburn was already moving, blade flashing as he sliced the severed head into a dozen pieces, ensuring the monster didn't get back up.
'One down… hundreds more to go,' Ashburn thought, reappearing in a flash while grabbing his severed arm. Without hesitation, he pressed it back to the torn socket. At high speed, the tissue reattached itself, muscles knitting together as if the injury had never happened.
'I have to be careful. Doctor Strange hasn't shown up yet…' That thought alone sent a chill down Ashburn's spine. If this was one of the classic versions of Doctor Strange—the kind that bordered on omnipotence, then things were about to get much worse.
'Susan and Quicksilver will be my main attack power, but…' His eyes narrowed. 'Strange's speed is no joke either. He regularly fights beings faster than light. Hell, he could one-shot me without warning.'
Ashburn barely had time to process the thought before his instincts screamed at him.
He threw himself to the side as a beam of energy tore through the air, slicing past where his head had just been.
The moment his feet hit the ground, another threat appeared—BAMF!—the distinct sound of air displacement. Nightcrawler.
The blue-skinned teleporter materialized right behind him, yellow eyes gleaming with murderous intent.
And he wasn't alone. Beside him stood a towering figure, skin gleaming like polished steel, Colossus. Ashburn barely had time to react before Colossus's punch connected, sending him flying like a ragdoll.
He shot straight toward Cyclops, who was already aiming.
BZZT!
The crimson beam fired, but Ashburn quickly activated [Ruler's Authority]. The sudden shift caused Cyclops's blast to miss Ashburn and slam into Colossus instead, sending the metal giant stumbling back—more annoyed than hurt.
Before Ashburn could regain balance, lightning fell from the sky without warning.
CRACK!
He vanished with [Flash Step], barely dodging in time. But the shockwave from the impact blasted him backward, flinging him across the battlefield.
His trajectory put him right in Rogue's path. She was already mid-jump, arms outstretched, gloveless hands reaching for him.
Ashburn's pupils shrank. He didn't hesitate. He used [Ruler's Authority]. His body jerked upward, propelled into the sky just as Rogue's fingers grazed the air where he'd been. But she wasn't done. With a sharp turn, Rogue twisted mid-air as she took flight, closing the distance.
'I can't touch Rogue, or she'll steal my powers, memories, and life force… How do I deal with someone like this?' Ashburn thought, frustration bubbling up.
He sighed, calming his nerves. His ever-changing weapon shifted, forming into two sleek daggers. Without hesitation, he unleashed a burst of mana, activating [Bloodlust] alongside [Flash Step] and [Critical Attack].
Mana surged through his body, instantly doubling all his stats. [Bloodlust], a debuff ability, drained Rogue's overall strength by 50%.
With everything stacked, Ashburn was now moving four times faster than his base speed. At this moment, he wasn't someone to be taken lightly.
Flying toward Rogue at such high speed that the friction with the air caused flames to ignite around him, Ashburn tore through the sky like a meteor. Space and time began to warp subtly around him, clear signs of the velocity he had reached.
BOOM!
The moment Ashburn clashed with Rogue, the impact unleashed a massive shockwave, sending both of them rocketing backward.
Ashburn flipped mid-air, regaining control, eyes wide with surprise. He hadn't expected to match Rogue's strength, not when she wielded Captain Marvel's powers. That could only mean one thing—he was nearing a whole new threshold.
'If I can stand up to her, I'm not far from the baseline strength of beings like the Thing…' Ashburn thought with a grin. He was around the Thing level of power… meaning he was strong. Strong enough to fight them all without the need for his shadows… shadows he will save for Strange.